RANK SONATA

Colin Potter's "Rank Sonata" a compilation of new and remastered compositions, includes his very praised "A Wider Pail of Shale" (2015), which could be counted as one of his most notorious pieces (outside the walls of P.A., in other Progressive Electronic pages).

I myself, maybe blinded with expectations, do appreciate the charms of this composition, but I am far from being highly amazed. Yes, a very accomplished track but some sections work better than others. Its first ten minutes are not that interesting as its last nine. 3.5 stars.

Track 2, "And" a remastered piece from the "And Then album", 2000, a 4 minutes essay, is more focused in the experimental electronic sounds mode. A very nicely accomplished exercise, by the way. 3 stars.

Track 3, "Knit Where?" which originates from the 2006's "Brainwaves" compilation, continues with the experimental electronic environments, counterpointing them with a distant flowing melody line which is more in tune with the Progressive Electronic world as it is understood. 3 stars.

Closing track "Beyond the Pail", a shorter and mellowly remixed version of its eldest sibling, as its name implies, is the kind of composition that summarizes the original's moods, in a faster paced way. Good but, I suppose, being not that struck with the original track, its attributes do not travel beyond that. 3 scarcely reached stars.

In some way, what this release lacks in master minded music composition, is compensated with Colin Potter's display of his own musical language, which is refreshing as opposed to imitations, which are a common place in this category.

***3 PA stars.